A Birthday for Beast
by Riordan and Lark
Summary: Once in a while, even the XMen take a break from saving the world to celebrate the birthday of one of their good friends, Hank McCoy. But even on holiday, adventure and intrigue will find them behind the walls of the XMansion and take them for a ride.
1. Chapter 1: Suspicious Sneakings

A Birthday for Beast

_By Riordan_

For once, all seemed right with the world and the forces of the legendary X-Men were not needed to save the day. So, for that night, they would celebrate. After all, it was a certain someone's birthday.

The whole day long, Hank McCoy had the sneaking suspicion that something was going on behind his back. And, being himself, he was right, but he couldn't say exactly what. For hours people were creeping around, dashing from one room to another with an armful of something pink and flowing. He could stand a little suspense, but...pink?

Beast sat crouched on the edge of his armchair, trying to read a book that he hadn't been able to touch for weeks. For the time being, he had very little to do and no one was interrupting. After a while he'd closed his door to muffle the sounds to scampering feet scurrying past with questionable loads. Yet, thanks to his heightened senses, he could still hear them.

After some time, he'd given up on his reading and listened to the noises outside his room. Beast had learned the footstep patterns of his fellow X-Men and had a good idea of who was doing what outside. He speculated. Jean would be heading up all operations and wouldn't leave the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen was a prime location for directing and orchestrating. She would be there with Scott and a few of the others. The guys would be the ones sent on the errands, save a few of the younger generation. He was sure that the quick, light steps outside were Jubilee's. Bobby and Gambit had been by plenty of times, carrying something. From the sounds of it, it was unwieldy and large. Couldn't have been too heavy, from the speed of the their pace, but then again the X-Men weren't pushovers. A careless haste caused one of these things to hit the floor, sending out a sound that was distinctly wooden. What on earth would they be doing with that?

The suspicious sounds built and built until he could hardly stand to not know what was going on. After so much, he went to the door and even laid his hand on the knob when a voice came from the other side.

"Hey, brainless!" it whispered loudly. "Do ya wanna get busted by the Professor?"

"Brainless yourself," was the reply. Definitely Jubilee. "He won't even miss 'em for a good hour or so."

Beast began to worry. This sounded bad.

"Come on, let's go."

The mutant stared at the door, trying to make up his mind. There was something fishy about all of this and he'd had just enough. Within seconds he was outside and striding down the hall towards the dining room. The scamper of feet had been going in that general direction. He pushed through the door and just about died of a heart attack.

Streamers of all colors blotted out the ceiling, confetti spilled off of furniture, and meanwhile the entire student body of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters shouted and cheered. The thing that caught his eye the most was the pink garlands of...something...looped around the chairs. From the back came Jean, followed by some of her cohorts.

"Happy birthday, Dr. McCoy," she said, beaming her bright smile.

"I must say," he told her, "I'm completely taken by surprise."

Professor Xavier rolled an approach aided by Scott. "Happy birthday, Hank," he said.

"Thank you." Beast looked around with mock displeasure. "Did you have a hand in any of this?"

"Oh no. This is Jean's doing. I merely lent them the use of my chairs."

The two men looked around at the mass around them, who couldn't help but enjoy themselves. After the students had calmed down enough, they sat down at the tables for cake. All eyes went to the kitchen doors expectantly and a hush fell. Then, without warning, Colossus burst through the doors, followed by Rogue and Gambit carrying one of the biggest cakes the school had ever seen. A train of Bobby, Jubilee, Scott, and Kurt fell in behind with the plates and utensils. The cake-bearers placed their feat in front of Beast, stepping back to catch his reaction.

"This is incredible," he said breathlessly, taking in the artwork of icing swirled on the sides and the full inscription of 'happy birthday Dr. Hank McCoy' written on the top of the round white cake. "Thank you very much. It's quite spectacular."

Gambit jumped as if he suddenly remembered something. "Hold that jest one second," he said, leaning forward towards the cake. He closed his fingers over the unlit candles one at a time until they glowed with light red energy. "Thas more like it, huh."

Jean put in, "We let these two do the cooking. There's nothing like Southern baking, so I hear."

"You don't have to tell me that, Jean," Beast told her, smiling around at his host of friends.

A stir rumbled the table and Jubilee said it loud enough for the other end of the table to hear. "Blow out the candles already!"

"All right, all right," Beast said, trying to calm down the ecstatic energy of the students. "Let's see here..."

**Author's Note: I do not own anything related to X-Men. I believe Marvel does. I hope you enjoy this first installment. I've mixed a dash of the movies with the original comics for something that's a little different. And there you have it...**


	2. Chapter 2: Cut to the Quick

As Beast leaned forward to blow out his candles, something caught his attention. A sound was coming, a quick sound, and one that no one else seemed to hear. His animal instinct was riled and the candles were no longer important. The second he looked up toward the far wall, it collapsed into a pile of heaping brick and debris, the cause stopped full on by the impact. Everyone left their chairs, trying to see what was the matter. Some of the X-Men quickly went to the scene as they recognized the intruder. Amidst the dust and broken brick, Quicksilver coughed and tried to stand. When he saw the oncoming X-Men, he put up his hands.

"No, please," he said quickly, slowing their approach somewhat. "I come here as a friend."

Wolverine stalked forward, looking about to draw his claws. "Yeah. You and every Brotherhood goon that walks in here."

At this point, Professor Xavier rolled forward, stalling Logan. "Let's listen to what he has to say for himself. I must admit I'm curious as to his presence here." He faced Quicksilver, who was looking quietly anxious as several of the X-Men's larger members hemmed him in. "I'm sure he'll be perfectly reasonable."

A few minutes later, a few of them were gathered in the professor's office. Quicksilver had refused a seat and now paced nervously by the bay windows. Beast and Jean watched him from their leather chairs while Professor Xavier tried to extricate his story. After a few moments, the mutant began.

"The Brotherhood needs your help," he said candidly. Beast raised an eyebrow. "My father—Magneto has lost control of himself. We need your help," he repeated.

Xavier sensed his frustration and inserted gently, "Tell us what's happened."

Quicksilver stopped for a moment and looked at him as if trying to decide if he could trust him. A second later, he began pacing again, slowly this time. "There's an island that belongs to my father. It was his project to develop technology there with his power. Research, things like that. There were plenty of old machines there already. He found them fascinating. Soon he began to spend a lot of time there. Hours and hours each day." Quicksilver paused. "Then one day he didn't come back." He stared at the floor. "We found him on the island, obsessed with his work, lashing out at anyone who came near him. His power was amplified by the machines and it drove him mad."

"So he's there now?" Beast asked.

"Yes." The mutant swallowed. "He threatens to destroy himself, everything, and everyone on that island."

Beast sat forward in his chair. "Everyone?"

Quicksilver stared hard at the floor then turned his liquid gaze towards them. He seemed to be having a hard time with this. "We thought the island was uninhabited. But that was before their distress signal registered." He looked at the floor again. "No one knows what the symbols mean. Without that knowledge, my father can't be stopped."

With that, Quicksilver phased into a blur, streaking to the closest open chair where he sat heavily. The three others in the room discussed quietly.

"Interesting," Beast said, glancing over at the Brotherhood mutant.

"We have to do something," Jean told them. "We can't let that take its course. There's innocent people there who need help."

"I agree," said Professor Xavier concernedly. He wheeled over to where Quicksilver was, getting his attention. "We will help the Brotherhood in this endeavor. But—" he interjected before Quicksilver could say anything. "We'll need additional information about all of this first."

"But that could take days," the mutant replied.

Professor Xavier raised a hand. "If you'll permit us, we'll find out for ourselves."

Quicksilver phased out again, solidifying again near the door. "I won't let you read my mind. There's some things that even I won't divulge to an X-Man."

Jean stood. "I promise I'll only read the thoughts that you allow me to." Something in her tone made Quicksilver return to his chair.

"What do I do?" he asked softly, staring at the floor.

Jean quietly approached, kneeling in front of him. "Just think about the island. Think about your father," she told him in her soothing voice. He closed his eyes to concentrate as she placed her hands on either side of his head.

_She concentrated as well, probing gently. At once, the flashes of images came, a torrent of pictures and smears of color, emotions and voices. She saw the island. She saw the beautiful beaches and trees. A complex was built just inland of a river, surrounded by a high fence. She heard someone laughing. A flash of someone playing in the sand. Scarlet Witch, his sister, ran ahead to reach the complex. She saw Magneto bending over a console displaying several inscriptions. A hand reached out to tap his shoulder. Magneto whirled around, his eyes half closed with anger. She felt a ripple of rage from Quicksilver that was quickly washed away by the next flash. Lightning streaked from a room, sparks flying as computers fried and fizzled out. Inside the room was Magneto, hovering as a vast shield of magnetic energy swirled from the floor, tearing apart the structure. Another emotion came from Quicksilver as a flash of the X-Mansion appeared, and then that very room. _

Jean pulled away, opening her eyes as the images disappeared. The Brotherhood mutant leaned back, letting out a long sigh. She dismissed herself to return to the other two.

Speaking in low tones, she reported what she had seen. "He's telling the truth."

"You're sure?" Beast asked, but even his instinct told him that this was true.

"It's not easy for him to be here, professor. But I don't think that you need me to tell you that."

Professor Xavier slanted forward. "It's a credit to him to swallow his pride and ask us for help. With the way that Eric is now, I'm sure that they'll need all the aid they can get."

Quicksilver was glad to accept their help. It was decided that the sooner they got to Eric, the sooner they might be able to get him back to normal. The professor gathered together the X-Men and decided who among them should go. Under his direction, the team comprised of Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean, and Gambit. They stood up from their chairs in the professor's office as he called them individually. Then he turned to Beast.

"Hank...I'd like you to go as well," he said. "To see what you can do with those symbols."

"Of course." The professor was about to say something else when he interrupted, "It's just a birthday, Charles. There's plenty of time for that later."

The professor nodded.

So the team was assembled. They left within the hour, making to board the X-Jet solemnly as the party guests watched. Logan waved nonchalantly, turning to go up the ramp as Rogue gave Gambit one last hug.

"You be careful, hear?" she told him, trying to smile a little.

The Cajun smirked back at her. "Lessen, _mon amour_. I be back before you know it."

She nodded, smiling, then pushed him away. "Then go now, mister, before I change mah mind."

Cyclops and Jean boarded together following Quicksilver while the professor left Storm in charge of the X-Mansion, giving her instructions quietly as the students watched the preparations wind down. Beast wheeled the professor on board just as the ramp began to hiss closed, a puff of steam blurring the last glimpse of them.

The jet lifted off the ground, blowing back the trees and anything that wasn't nailed down. Students and X-Men alike watched the black craft rise into the now cloudy sky and start a southern course. As the wind died down, pink banners trailed around the patio, blown out of doors by the gale. Jubilee sat forlornly beside the cake, her head rested on her fist as she poked at the icing.

**Author's Note: Here it is! (finally) The second installment of this story. I hope you enjoy it. More to come soon, I hope**!


	3. Chapter 3: Snap Decision

The people in the jet remained quiet for a long time, each having different thoughts and ways of occupying the time. Wolverine toyed with his seat belt, out of boredom almost shredding the thing with his claws. Jean gave him a hard look and he decided to simply wear it. Professor Xavier said very little, concentrating hard on what was beyond the cockpit's windshield. The ground flew by as the soft vibrations of the X-Jet filled the cabin. Gambit held a card in his hand, charging it slowly at first and then all at once, ebbing the pink glow or having it race around the edges first. Cyclops had a book of some sort and was trying to read it. Even he looked distracted. As for Quicksilver, he was investigating the back of the X-Jet, opening drawers and cabinets like he'd never seen such a thing before. After so much opening and closing of the hydraulic compartments, Wolverine leaned over to Gambit.

"I've a mind to stuff him in one of those things if he doesn't stop here real soon."

"Ah'll help you," Gambit replied, nonchalantly pulling another ace of spades from his coat pocket.

Beast was hardly comfortable in the jet's chairs. He never was, and tried to avoid employing them at any cost. Nevertheless, he stayed near Xavier, knowing that his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his friend, Eric Lensherr. It amazed him to that day how these two men were friends and mortal enemies at the same time. He thought about this for a while, but the constant hissing of the rear compartments opening and closing resounded acutely in his ears. After so much, he decided to do something about it.

Wolverine and Gambit looked up as he passed resolutely by, the Cajun smirking a little before returning to his cards.

Beast approached Quicksilver quietly and cleared his throat unobtrusively. For a quick second the mutant blurred, rematerializing facing Beast.

"You frightened me," he said, somewhat abashed.

"I do apologize. I can have that effect on people."

Forward, the two mutants leaned around the edge of their chairs to watch.

"This is a nice craft." Quicksilver looked around the vaulted space. "What do you call it?"

Beast rocked on his heels a little before he replied, "The...X-Jet."

The Brotherhood mutant looked disappointed. "It's not very original."

"No, I suppose not. But it'll have to do for now."

Quicksilver paced a little. "My father was planning to build a ship of his own. But he has many ships at his command. Hundreds."

From the forward part of the jet, Wolverine put in, "Ours is better."

"I'm sure that you cannot compare the craftsmanship of a ship completely built by the will of one man to your one creation."

"It sure isn't Frankenstein's monster, if that's what you mean."

Beast stopped it before it got any worse. "That's enough, Logan." He turned to Quicksilver. "What I've been trying to say is that we're about to land on your island. Jean would like to know the location of where we might set down."

The Brotherhood mutant made his way to the front to give his advice. Within minutes, they set down in the jungle clearing that Quicksilver pointed out. The team stepped out of the X-Jet and into the steaming island rain forest. Wolverine glared into the underbrush as the cliché jungle sounds met his ears. They decided to have two parties that would remain together until absolutely necessary. Quicksilver assured them that approaching Magneto in full force would not be the safest way. The professor agreed.

Wolverine, Gambit, and Cyclops took point. Jean, Beast, Quicksilver, and Professor Xavier followed along behind carefully. After so much forging ahead, the Brotherhood mutant stopped them.

"I'm afraid that the going will not get easier from here, Professor Xavier. I believe you should remain behind."

"Behind?" Jean queried. "We'll need all the help we can get."

The professor waved them off. "I understand. Some of you can go ahead and see if the way is clear. I'll go back to the jet and follow when I can."

"I'll stay with you," said Jean.

"No. If you find Eric I want someone to be able to show him reason through his madness if he won't listen. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Scott. I want you to stay behind."

He replied, "Can do, professor," in a calm manner as he moved back towards Professor Xavier.

As they turned to go back the way they had come, the professor added, "Quicksilver, I'm trusting you to bring my friends back to me. Can you do that?"

The Brotherhood mutant performed a stiff bow, lowering his liquid eyes to the jungle floor. "I will not fail you."

Wolverine, a smirk on his face, jabbed Gambit with his elbow before gesturing towards the scene. The Cajun didn't seem to share his joke, appreciating the scene with an understanding look, his arms crossed.

The team moved off quietly, each not wanting to disturb the silence that wafted around them in the heavy mist. After long last, Wolverine decided that it bothered him enough that he had the right to break it.

"What kinda place is this, anyway?" he asked. "Doesn't seem natural."

"This must be one of those fake islands everyone's talking about," Jean inserted pointedly. Logan looked away to avoid her glance, stomping more deliberately on the underbrush they were fighting through.

Falling behind, Beast slowed his pace to look up at the jungle canopy. The leaves gave way to a clearing in the thick foliage, the rays illuminating the strong humidity in the air along with the flying insects that crossed their path. In sharp comparison, the rest of the forest was dark, the sunlight unable to penetrate the dense growth. How this solitary patch survived was certainly a mystery. As he watched, he thought he saw something move up there among the branches. It continued to stir, gaining momentum, and not long after Beast felt an odd sensation run a marathon down and down his spine.

"Wait..." he said slowly, the others turning to face him. "He's right. This isn't natural."

Wolverine glanced towards the place where he was watching, the misgiving he had earlier gaining strength. He said nothing, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Jean, however, was the first to speak. "The leaves...They're growing back."

His instinct kicking into high gear, Beast shouted, "Everyone, get down!" He hit the jungle floor seconds before Wolverine followed. Some of the others weren't that fast. A loud rushing of wind blew by as a long green wine whipped across the clearing, catching Gambit and Jean off guard and knocking them to the ground. For the brief moment he lay on his back, the Cajun looked up at the patch of sky that was quickly being eaten by the dark leaves massing at its edges. By the time, he'd regained his feet, all traces of the sun where gone.

Beast sprang up, trying to listen for the next attack, but the forest was now alive with calls and shouts, the shadows hiding their origins. Another vine snapped, Quicksilver phasing out just in time to avoid it. Standing the center of their battleground, Jean focused her energy to hold back more that came their way. The force propelling them was strong and she couldn't hold more than three back at a time. Wolverine slashed at the vines, plunging his claws into their thick stems. But the plant was just a plant and not vulnerable to pain. The severed plants merely extended their length to continue the fight.

"Here!" Beast was shouting, his hands gripping one of the vines with intense pressure. Struggling, he bent it around a tree with help from Gambit, managing to tie the thing around the trunk. The vine jerked at its hindrance and then fell limp like any ordinary plant. "That's the way," the professor called. "Wolverine, your assistance here would be greatly appreciated!"

Somewhat reluctantly, the mutant left his work on one particular vine and joined in the effort to restrain the whipping vines. They'd gotten four of the plants around trees when Jean's stamina began to flag under the intense power opposing her telekinesis. She was distracted for a second and before she could recover, a vine collapsed onto her. She fought the plant like one would a boa constrictor, its length coiling and crushing around her in a serpentine fashion.

Beast rushed to her aid, directing the others to go on in his absence as he tore at the leafy assailant. Grinding his teeth, Wolverine turned his full attention to the task. Gambit pulled with him and they successfully wound another vine around the closest tree. The team began to select their next vine when Gambit suddenly started. A smaller vine had snaked up his ankle, gripping it hard.

"Hold on there," Gambit said, trying to tear it off. It merely twisted more of its length around its target and began to pull towards the edge of the clearing. Seeing this, Wolverine grabbed hold of him and attempted to pull him the other direction. The tension was incredible for such a small plant.

"Hey now," the Cajun said quickly. "Yer pullin' me in two!"

"Got any suggestions?" Wolverine spat back, tugging alternately. A second later, the vine gave a mighty pull and Gambit jerked out of his grasp, tumbling into the grass. A myriad of small vines appeared and attacked, twisting around anything they touched. Within moments, Wolverine and Gambit were tied securely with a garden variety of vines.

One of them tried his claws again with no success. The vines simply wrapped around them as well. He grimaced at them. Gambit gripped one the best he could and charged it. In under a second, the plant withered and burned away. But the vines seemed to learn better and avoided his grasp after that. Now, both of them were effectively out of commission.

"Great," Wolverine griped, frowning at their predicament.

"Got any suggestions?" asked the other, half-heartedly smirking as he struggled with the vines.

Beast had no luck with the stubborn vine around Jean. She had little energy left to fight it and could do little to help him. The Brotherhood mutant came from nowhere to help. Instantly, a vine thrashed out and caught him before he could react. It threw him violently backwards into a tree. He fell, dazed, and could do nothing to ward off the twining plants.

Realizing he was the last, Beast renewed his efforts to free Jean. Something in the forest cracked. Footsteps. He stopped and stood quickly to face his opponent, standing there on guard and so fiercely that Jean was convinced that their old doctor had truly become his namesake.

Three people emerged from the edge of the forest, the shadows hiding their faces. The vines ceased their attacks and came to something of attention, ready for use again.

"What do you want with us?" Beast demanded, a growl echoing in his deep voice.

"We want nothing with you," was a sharp reply. "Your presence is extremely unwelcome here and we will do everything in our power to see that you do not leave this island."

**Author's Note: Huzzah for chapter 3 after so much time! I do apologize. Well, here it is after long last. Enjoy! **


End file.
